What's the state of hospitality lending?

The 18th ANNUAL HOTEL FINANCING SURVEY sponsored by HOTEL BROKERS INTERNATIONAL and LODGING HOSPITALITY, distributed to nearly 200 industry lenders, surveyed the types of hotel lending available in the market, requirements for generating hospitality loans and opinion on the status of the lending industry this past year and for 2012. During this webcast, Ed Watkins, editor of Lodging Hospitality will join HBI President Charlie Fritsch to discuss the hotel financing market and share the results of this survey with the hospitality investment community.

A panel of recruiting experts debate one of the hottest topics in hiring, salary and compensation. Join us live for an interactive session featuring Executive Vice President of Operations at Headspring, LLC, Glenn Burnside; President of McArthur talent, Amanda McArthur, and The Resumator's own Internal Recruiter Sara Niemi.

Though it’s tempting to treat your candidate experience as a checklist of to-dos, your efforts may be sidelined by changes in technology and user behavior. For example, you may know that it’s important to offer job seekers a mobile-optimized job search experience. But do you know how changes to Google’s mobile search results can impact job seeker traffic to your site?

Join us for a 45 minute webinar with D. Mark Hornung, Senior Vice President and brand strategist at Findly, as he discusses 5 recruiting techniques that you should be doing better. Mark will share insights on job seeker habits and technology updates that will impact the effectiveness of your efforts as well as tips for adapting to these changes to vastly improve your talent acquisition plans.

There are more costs to your phone system than you think. From capital expenditures to software upgrades, your phone system could be costing you. Join Matt McGinnis, Senior Director of Product Marketing at RingCentral, as he discusses the total cost of ownership (TCO) of an on-premise phone system and how you can see up to a 70% savings on your phone bill.

With over half of companies not feeling well enough prepared for an IT disaster according to recent research, Ian Daly of Plan B Disaster Recovery will be sharing his best practices on how to build a DR solution you can trust. In this webinar we’ll cover:

- What counts as an IT disaster?
- What are the common causes?
- How can you better prepare for an IT disaster?
- Testing – what should you be testing and how often?
- What level of reliability should you be striving to achieve?
- How to maintain trust in your disaster recovery solution

James McAlister has been developing and facilitating exercises for over 30 years. He was the lead author for the BCI Good Practice Guidelines 2013 Chapter 06: Validation, which focuses on exercising. The webinar will introduce an exercise model and simple techniques to enable participants to conduct their own effective exercises.

With business continuity planning covering everything from natural disasters to building infrastructure, resilient businesses will have thoroughly tested IT backup in place for their critical applications, such as failover connectivity and secondary datacentres.

But what happens if the resilience of the underlying IT is untested? Trends such as BYOD, Cloud and Mobility are creating new challenges for IT, particularly with maturing technology, where the risk to information security and business continuity could be high. New applications that have been integrated into existing systems can expose multiple points of failure as data is transferred in different formats between different systems.

In this webinar, Lucas and Mark will be discussing how to ensure that in today’s interconnected business, all unforeseen IT eventualities are mitigated before the crucial BCP test. Here’s how:

- Establish a strong Quality Assurance process that drives consistency across your organisation
- Regularly assess the overall quality of your IT systems to highlight any risks and potential points of failure
- Ensure that IT is central to all decisions involving the adoption of new technology across the organisation

This session is essential for not only understanding the practicalities of safeguarding the resiliency of your IT but also how to develop underlying controls to prevent new ways of working spiralling into business continuity failure.

This webinar is based on actual experiences gained in conducting BCM tests under varying conditions and environments, including ICT as well as Business and Incident Management testing across a number of industrial sectors. During the webinar We will be discussing the lessons learnt from some of the following topics relating to recent tests:
- The challenges of Testing in Africa
- Relocation testing, announced and unannounced
- Barriers to effective relocation
- Environmental, political and geographic obstacles
- Expectations and Cynicism
- Social media
- Component testing, integrating both technical and business challenges
- The Crisis Management Simulation
- Real time Scenario based testing – pros and cons
- Lessons, a snapshot

Representative IT DR testing is essential to demonstrate that the capability will meet the businesses recovery requirements and justify the investment in the ITDR. However the challenges with ITDR testing and shortfalls within the underlying programme often leads to tests that prove little, give the organisation a false sense of security, deny any opportunity to improve the capability and ultimately put the organisation at risk.

In this Webinar we will explore the challenges associated with ITDR testing, how to overcome them and the pointers to the issues in the underlying programme.

Given the rising concern for Supply Chain incidents amongst Business Continuity professionals (up 11 places to 5th in BCI Horizon Scan Research Report 2015), we will look at considerations for those businesses managing complex supply chains and a best practice approach for mitigating the associated risks.

Online reviews and social media are a blessing and a curse. On one hand, attention on social media and online can drive business. On the other hand, negative reviews can have a significant negative impact. While reviewers have a right to express their opinions without fear of litigation, reviewers may also be held accountable for spreading falsehood that damages reputation or decreases revenue. This webcast will assist the hospitality professional to respond to negative reviews. It will provide the viewer background information intended to assist hospitality professionals in (1) distinguishing between expressions of opinion (which are protected) and statements of purported fact (which are not); (2) responding informally to negative reviews; (3) determining how legal counsel can efficiently and effectively assist; and (4) avoiding potential liability under state statutes that might apply in legal actions brought to curtail speech.

The webinar will also overview principles established by very recent appellate court decisions pertaining to online reviews.

About the presenter: Clifford S. Davidson, Attorney, Sussman Shank LLP, is a commercial litigator with jury trial experience. Throughout his career, he has focused on commercial contract disputes, entertainment and intellectual property litigation, First Amendment litigation, counseling in the areas of privacy and data security, and insurance coverage.

1031 tax exchange could offer good tax benefit to hospitality asset owners seeking to improve their hotel portfolio. Named for Section 1031 of the United States Internal Revenue Code, this investment strategy is essentially a swap of one business for another, allowing an investor to change the form of their investment without cashing out or recognizing capital gain. This allows the investment to grow tax deferred – avoiding tax until an actual sale for cash.

Learn about the 1031 tax exchange process during the HBI Hotel Investor’s Marketplace Webcast scheduled for September 10 when Tony DeGeorge, President of Hotel Brokers International, will welcome guest speaker, Rochelle Stone, President and Founding Partner of Starker Services, Inc. Starker Services is the nation's oldest, largest and most experienced independent Qualified Intermediary firm, successfully completing thousands of exchanges each year. Rochelle has been active in the 1031 exchange industry for over 20 years and is a nationally recognized speaker, teaching exchanging and investing techniques to investment and professional groups.

Some of the things to be discussed during the September 10th Webcast include:
•the difference between a sale and an exchange;
•protections offered by a 1031 exchange;
•types of qualifying property;
•how a delayed exchange works;
•the timing rules;
•and, what to look for when selecting a Qualified Intermediary.

Attorneys Joseph A. Field of Field Jerger LLP and Richard M. Saltzman of Giambrone & Saltzman, LLC will join HBI President Tony DeGeorge via the organization’s webcast series - Hotel Investor's Marketplace to discuss franchise agreement negotiations, terms and conditions as well as tips on how to get ahead of the foreclosure curve and reach resolution with the bank. Register now for this complimentary webcast.

Methodology for the appraisal process may change based on the asset being valued, but the end goal is always the same – establishing monetary value. Hotel valuation, a highly specialized process, is different from valuing any other cash flowing real estate as the appraiser must give consideration to four elements: land, business, improvements, and personal property. Join the Hotel Investor’s Marketplace Webcast on March 5, when Adam Cowart, MAI, Senior Appraiser and Director of Operations for Cowart Hospitality Services and HBI President Tony DeGeorge will discuss new trends emerging in hotel valuation, how hotel lending criteria has changed in recent years, and what impact this has on the valuation process.

An improved economy brings rise in the dreaded hotel PIP. Hotel brands are requiring franchise property owners to deal with property improvement and deferred maintenance issues that were put on the back burner while the country weathered the economic downturn. The concept of reinvesting and improving your hotel to maintain and increase the asset’s value makes sense; however, with the economy showing only modest growth, hoteliers are reluctantly letting loose of the purse strings. Kevin Brickner, Vice President at Wyndham Worldwide and Daniel Couture, Sr. Director of Product Improvement at Choice Hotels International, join Charlie Fritsch, president of Hotel Brokers International to discuss the PIP process from inspection and negotiation to budgeting and execution.

This year, HOTEL BROKERS INTERNATIONAL conducted their annual HOTEL FINANCING SURVEY in partnership with HOTEL BUSINESS magazine. The survey – now in its 19th year – was distributed to nearly 200 hospitality industry lenders and examined the types of loan products available in the market, requirements for generating hospitality loans and opinion on the status of the lending industry this past year and through 2013. During this Webcast, Dennis Nessler, editor of Hotel Business, will join HBI President Charlie Fritsch to discuss the hotel financing market and share the results of this survey with the hospitality investment community.

The U.S. hotel industry reported increases in all three key performance metrics for fourth quarter 2012 in year-over-year measurements, according to the data tracked and compiled by STR and STR Analytics. On March 13, Stephen Hennis, Director of STR Analytics, will join the HBI Hotel Investor’s Marketplace Webcast and HBI President Charlie Fritsch to take a detailed look into the hotel performance data and review which regions, markets, and segments were the greatest contributors to the increases posted in 2012. Could the industry’s occupancy, ADR and revenue per available room continue this upward trend throughout 2013 and 2014?

About Stephen Hennis, CHA, ISHC
As Director of STR Analytics, Stephen Hennis oversees specialized consulting projects and the development of new STR products and services. Mr. Hennis has over 17 years of experience in the analysis of lodging investments. He has appraised and evaluated over 500 lodging facilities, and has been involved in the underwriting, negotiation and acquisition of luxury hotels and resorts.

About STR Analytics
Meeting the needs of all lodging industry participants for in-depth, comprehensive analysis of hotel industry performance data, STR Analytics provides an extensive range of services and creative applications to a variety of clients. STR Analytics offers the unique combination of experienced lodging industry experts and STR’s unparalleled international hotel database. STR Analytics is based in Boulder, Colorado. STR is the recognized leader in providing accurate, actionable information and analysis to the lodging industry. Since 1985, the company has served the industry operating on the key principles of integrity, confidentiality and customer service.

As the year winds down, we look toward 2013. How will the hospitality real estate and finance markets differ from 2012? What new opportunities will the New Year bring? What, if any, impact will the United States Presidential Election have on the hospitality industry? Be a part of the conversation as our panel of hospitality industry professionals - Charlie Fritsch, Hotel Brokers International; Laurie Ivy, PMC Commercial Trust; and Joe McCann, Optimum Hotel Brokerage – look toward 2013 and discuss the issues most important to hotel real estate investment, financing and operation.

Webcast will feature the most recent hotel performance trends data as tracked by Smith Travel Research. Join Charlie Fritsch, president of Hotel Brokers International, and Jeff Higley, vice president of digital media & communications for STR/STR Global/HotelNewsNow.com, as they discuss the hospitality real estate industry market and opportunities for investment.

The 18th ANNUAL HOTEL FINANCING SURVEY sponsored by HOTEL BROKERS INTERNATIONAL and LODGING HOSPITALITY, distributed to nearly 200 industry lenders, surveyed the types of hotel lending available in the market, requirements for generating hospitality loans and opinion on the status of the lending industry this past year and for 2012. During this webcast, Ed Watkins, editor of Lodging Hospitality will join HBI President Charlie Fritsch to discuss the hotel financing market and share the results of this survey with the hospitality investment community.

The economic recovery has brought new opportunities in real estate investment, and hotel acquisitions seem especially well positioned to benefit from rising asset values and the recovering capital markets. The U.S. hotel industry closed 2011 with increases in occupancy, ADR and RevPAR. While the industry is not back to 2007 and 2008 levels, 2012 shows signs of continuing this upward trend and opening a new window of opportunity.

Join the Hotel Investor’s Marketplace Webcast as our panel of industry professionals discusses 2012: The Year of Opportunity.

During the complimentary Hotel Investor's Marketplace Webcast scheduled for November 9, HBI president Joe McCann will be joined by lodging industry media... And, instead of posing the questions, these Editors will be answering them. Lodging industry Editors spend every day focused on the facts of the industry, participating in industry investment conferences, interviewing experts in the industry and studying industry analyses. They are familiar with all aspects of the industry. Through this Webcast industry Editors will share their perception on the State of the Lodging Industry. Webcast attendees will glean invaluable information on a variety of hospitality industry topics including: finance, hotel franchise and the overall health of the industry.

In the first six months of 2011, Occupancy, ADR and RevPAR were all on the rise in the hotel industry. According to STR data, “The U.S. hotel industry finished June with the highest revenue per available room since August 2008.” Will this steady improvement continue into the second half of the year? What are the greatest opportunities for hotel investment? Join the Hotel Investor’s Marketplace Webcast as Joe McCann, president of Hotel Brokers International, and Jeff Higley, vice president of digital media & communications for HotelNewsNow.com/STR/STR Global, sit down to discuss the outlook for the hospitality real estate industry market. Jeff will share the most recent hotel performance trends data tracked by Smith Travel Research.

About the Presenters:
Joseph R. McCann, CHB, is president of Hotel Brokers International and president of Optimum Hotel Brokerage. Joe is a thirty-year hotel industry veteran who has held senior management positions with Hilton and Marriott at their largest and most successful properties. During his hotel brokerage career, he has closed more than $500 Million in hotel asset transactions and his Philadelphia-based firm, Optimum Hotel Brokerage, is recognized as one of the leading hotel brokerage and hotel capital advisory services companies in the United States.

Jeffrey Higley is the vice president of digital media & communications for HotelNewsNow.com/STR/STR Global. Jeff, a 26-year journalism veteran, has specialized in the hotel industry for the past 14+ years. He launched HotelNewsNow.com, a division of Smith Travel Research in September 2008. Prior to joining HotelNewsNow.com and Smith Travel Research in March 2008, Higley served in various leadership positions for Questex Media Group’s Hotel Management. Higley was instrumental in the company’s launch of Hotel Design, Luxury Hotelier and The Hotel Times magazines.

Fourth quarter 2010 brought a measurable uptick in the number of distressed hotel property and note sales. More than half of all distressed asset sales in 2010 transpired in the year’s final three months. Will this upward trend continue through 2011? When will the promised flood of distress come to market? Where will this year’s greatest opportunities exist? What strategies should a would-be-purchaser employ? Learn the answers to these questions and more as Joe McCann, president of Hotel Brokers International, and Jeff Kolessar, senior vice president of development of GF Management, sit down to discuss the great overhang of distress in the hospitality real estate industry market.

Social media networking has catapulted to the #1 activity on the Web and has changed forever the way in which we interact. Approximately 75% of all adult Americans use at least one of the hundreds of established social media platforms. While it can be overwhelming, social media is an essential component to a business marketing plan. Your marketing program doesn’t have to include all social media outlets, but there is a significant importance to having some kind of presence in the online social scene.

Join the Hotel Investor’s Marketplace Webcast on March 2 as we welcome Brian Bagel, social media director for TIG Global, who will talk about the overall importance of using social media in hotel marketing and share what tactical steps hotel owners/managers can take to improve their hotel’s online marketing.

TIG Global provides hotel Internet marketing management services to more than 800 hotels, resorts, restaurants and spas - from small, independent boutique properties to large international brands, located in more than 20 different countries around the world.

Join the Hotel Investor’s Marketplace Webcast on November 17 as a panel of hospitality professionals analyze the results of the United States midterm elections and the impact they may have on the lodging industry. What ramifications, if any, will this election have on the hot button issues most important to hotel real estate investment and operation?

As the economy continues its recovery, hotels are reporting an upward trend in operations. How long before this pick up in hotel demand and occupancy is reflected in valuations? Where are the greatest opportunities today for hotel investment? What is the outlook for the hospitality industry in 2011 and beyond?

Join us on September 1 as the Hotel Investor’s Marketplace Webcast welcomes Jeff Higley, vice president of digital media & communications for HotelNewsNow.com/STR/STR Global, who will take look at the 2010 performance of the U.S. hotel industry. Jeff will share hotel trends data tracked by Smith Travel Research.

As the recession recedes, it is revealing an altered landscape in the field of lending. Are there hotel investment opportunities out there? Is financing available for hotel transactions? What does the latest SBA extension mean for hotel investors? How can a borrow speed up the funding approval process?

Join the June 2nd Hotel Investor’s Marketplace Webcast as our panel – Tony DeGeorge, Laurie Ivy and Charles Fritsch – will discuss these and other important issues affecting hospitality lending.

Ed Watkins, Editor of Lodging Hospitality joins this presentation of the Hotel Investor’s Marketplace Webcast to report on the findings of a confidential survey conducted by Lodging Hospitality in conjunction with Hotel Brokers International. More than 450 lenders were surveyed for their input on the state of the hospitality lending market. The completed survey reports on the following:

The final report of the survey will be published in the May 2010 issue of Lodging Hospitality magazine as well as in the 2010 edition of HBI’s TransActions Recap. In the meantime, join us for a sneak preview of the 2010 Lender Survey findings.

Gain insight into hotel real estate investment. Check the temperature of the market. Preview the most recent hotel listings and obtain information from leaders in brokerage, franchise, finance and media.